There are no surprises. Basically what we're hearing from the airlines is that volume is not falling off. Business is getting weak as travelers are trying to get around higher pricing with discounts. There was some weakening in February into March, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

no new franchise business surprises him.

In my business, nothing surprises me.

They're probably looking at what's happening with Northwest and Delta and probably realizing they have to get their contract cost structure down as well.

Operating two products under the same name has never worked. They've learned a lot from operating a low cost product and now in bankruptcy they can incorporate that into their main line product.

Any amount of savings at this point is desperately needed by the airlines. With the tremendous pressures on airlines, this is one of few areas where they can actually reduce costs. With online purchasing of tickets, more and more channels are becoming available for consumers. If travel agents go out of business, it'll make the system more efficient. It's a hard statement to make, but it's true.